''Chhatri'' are semi-open, elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and

Indian architecture Indian architecture is rooted in the History of India, history, Culture of India, culture, and Indian religions, religion of India. Among several architectural styles and traditions, the best-known include the many varieties of Hindu temple a ...

. They are most commonly square, octagonal, and round. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they largely serve as decorative elements as opposed to functional elements. The earliest examples of chhatri being used in the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

were found in the Shrine of Ibrahim in Bhadreswar, constructed between 1159 and 1175 AD. Chhatri are found particularly within

Mughal architecture Mughal architecture is the style of architecture developed in the Mughal Empire in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of ea ...

. The most notable surviving examples today are to be found at Humayun's Tomb in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

and the

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

Agra Agra ( ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

. The Berar Sultanate in the Deccan added chhatris on buildings in its various capitals. Chhatri have also been used in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

and other parts of the

by both

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

rulers. They are primarily used to manipulate skylines, an important aspect of Rajasthani architecture. For instance, they may be added to building roofs, and larger chhatri may be used as cenotaphs. Its origins are, however, Rajastani. While chhatri in Shekhawati may consist of a simple structure of one dome raised by four pillars to a building containing many domes and a basement with several rooms. In some places, the interior of the chhatri is painted in the same manner as the '' haveli'' (mansions) of the region.

In Rajasthan

Many other chhatri exist in other parts of Rajasthan. Their locations include: *

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

– Gaitore Cenotaphs of the Maharajas of

. Set in a narrow valley, the cenotaphs of the former rulers of Jaipur consist of the somewhat typical chhatri or umbrella-shaped memorials. Sawai Jai Singh II's Chhatri is particularly noteworthy because of the carvings that have been used to embellish it. * Jodhpur – Jaswant Thada, the white marble chhatri of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. The Panchkunda Ki Chhatriyan at Mandore are a group of chhatri built on early cremation grounds of Marwar royal family. * Bharatpur- the cenotaphs of the members of the Jat royal family of Bharatpur, who perished whilst fighting against the British in 1825, are erected in the town of Govardhan. The chhatri of Maharaja Suraj Mal of Bharatpur has fine frescos illuminating the life of Surajmal, vividly depicting darbar and hunting scenes, royal processions and wars. * Udaipur- Flanked by a row of enormous stone elephants, the Lake Pichola island has an impressive chhatri carved from gray blue stone, built by Maharana Jagat Singh. * Haldighati – A beautiful Chhatri with white marble columns, dedicated to Rana Pratap, stands here. Chetak Smarak, the cenotaph dedicated to Chetak, Rana Pratap's famous horse, is also noteworthy. * Alwar – Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri is a beautiful red sandstone and white marble cenotaph of the rulers of Alwar. * Bundi – Suraj Chhatri and Mordi Ki Chhatri, Chaurasi Khambon ki Chhatri, Bundi and Nath Ji ki Chhatri are located in Bundi. Rani Shyam Kumari wife of Raja Chhatrasal on the northern hill constructed the Suraj Chhatri and Mayuri the second wife of Chhatrasal on the southern hill erected Mordi Ki Chhatri. * Jaisalmer – Bada Bagh, a complex with chhatris of Jai Singh II (d. 1743) and subsequent Maharajas of Jaisalmer. *

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Fo ...

– Devi Kund near Bikaner is the royal crematorium place with a number of cenotaphs. The chhatri of Maharaja Surat Singh is most imposing. It has the spectacular Rajput paintings on the ceilings. * Ramgarh – Seth Ram Gopal Poddar Chhatri * Nagaur – Nath Ji ki Chhatri, Amar Singh Rathore-ki-Chhatri File:Bairisal Borj (Jaisalmer Fort), Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India (2012).jpg, A 12th-century chatri, Jaisalmir File:Bada Bagh 03.jpg, Bada Bagh at Jaisalmer File:Chhatri at Rajgarh.jpg, Chhatri at Rajgarh, Rajasthan File:Cenotaph of Musi Maharani.jpg, Moosi Rani Ki Chhatri, Alwar File:Barah Khamba Gumbat, Hindaun.jpg, Barah Khamba Chhatri at Jalsen Talab in Hindaun

In Shekhawati

Some of the best-known chhatri in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan are located in the following cities and towns: * Ramgarh – Ram Gopal Poddar Chhatri * Laxmangarh - Churiwala ki Chhatri * Bissau – The Raj ki Chhatri of the Shekhawat Thakurs * Parsurampura – Thakur Sardul Singh Shekhawat's chhatri * Jhunjhunu – Chhatri of Shekhawat Rulers * Dundlod – The beautiful chhatri of Ram Dutt Goenka * Mukungarh – Shivdutta Ganeriwala Chhatri * Churu – Taknet Chhatri * Mahansar – The Sahaj Ram Poddar Chhatri * Udaipurwati – Joki Das Shah ki Chhatri * Fatehpur – Jagan Nath Singhania Chhatri

In Madhya Pradesh

The region of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

is the site of several other notable chhatri of its famous

Maratha The Marathi people (; Marathi: , ''Marāṭhī lōk'') or Marathis (Marathi: मराठी, ''Marāṭhī'') are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are native to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-A ...

rulers: * Shujalpur – Tomb of Ranoji Scindia, founder of the Scindia dynasty. Situated at Ranoganj, Shujalpur to Akodia Road. * Shivpuri – Intricately embellished marble chhatri erected by Scindia rulers in Shivpuri. *

Gwalior Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...

– Shrimati Balabai Maharaj Ladojirao Shitole Chhatri *

– Rajrajendra Ramchandrarao Narsingh Shitole and wife Gunwantyaraje Ramchandrarao Shitole (princess of Gwalior) Chatri * Orchha – Elaborate chhatri of local Hindu kings * Gohad – The Jat rulers of Gohad constructed the chhatri of Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana on the Gwalior Fort. *

Indore Indore (; ISO 15919, ISO: , ) is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the List of cleanest cities in India, cleanest city of In ...

and Maheshwar – Chhatri of Holkar rulers. * Alampur – Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar built the chhatri of Malhar Rao Holkar at Alampur in Bhind district in 1766.

Mughal architecture

Dome Chhatris Spires - Taj Mahal - Agra 2014-05-14 3805

Chhatri were features in many buildings of

: *The

has four Chhatris surrounding the Main Dome * Humayun's Tomb has several Chhatris nead the dome. *The Panch Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri is crowned with a domed chhatri that overlooks the men's area.

In Kutch

Chhatri can also be found in the outskirts of Bhuj city belonging mainly to Jadeja rulers of Kutch. The chhatri of Rao Lakhpatji is very famous for its intricate designs & carvings. Most of them but have been destroyed in the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. The restoration work is going on.

Outside India

There are two notable chhatri in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, a country with strong historical links to India. One is a cenotaph in Brighton, dedicated to the Indian soldiers who died in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The other is in Arnos Vale Cemetery near

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and is a memorial to the distinguished Indian reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy, who died in that city.

Major Chhattris

84 Khambho ki Chhatri- memorial of Shatrusal (1631 AD), Bundi ruler - contemporary of

Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...

. Built in the memory of Rao Raja Aniruddh Singh's nursemaid Deva, near Devpura village of Bundi .

Chhataris of Kesarbagh

Kesarbagh, located about 4-5 kilometers from Bundi, has 66 chhatris of rulers of Bundi and royal families. The oldest among these is chhatri of Maharaj Kumar Dadu and the newest is the chhatri of Maharaja Raja Vishnu Singh.

Musi Maharani ki chhatri

Their canopy is located in

's Alvar The canopy of 60 the pillars of Hindu architecture on the south side of Sagar below the Bala Durg was built in the memory of the Musi Queen of Maharaja Bakhtar Singh during the period of Maharaja Vinay Singh. The upper storey of this canopy, built of white marble and red sandstone, is also decorated with mural paintings depicting scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

Chhataris of Tehla

These chhatris are also located in Alwar district of Rajasthan. The Mishraji Chhatri located here is particularly renowned; it was constructed around 1432 CE. The dome of this chhatri is supported by eight upright, square pillars. The distinguishing feature of this chhatri is the unparalleled ornamentation of its mural paintings.

References

External links

ArchNet Dictionary of Islamic Architecture: Chatri
Columbia University {{Coord missing, Rajasthan Rajasthani architecture Architecture in India Maratha architecture Mughal architecture elements Monuments and memorials in India Hindi words and phrases Cenotaphs in India Buildings and structures in Rajasthan Hindu architecture Islamic architectural elements